The City of Angels
by Svetlana
Summary: Alison has found comfort in the arms of best friend, Jack. Will they venture into the world of romance? Or will Rafe come along to claim his love, Alison? (I know, kind of cheesy, but it's all I can think of this late, :-) )
1. A New Comfort

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, nor am I associated with Port Charles or ABC in any way, shape or form. I am simply borrowing the characters for entertainment purposes. 

Title: The City of Angels

Summary/Couples: I'm going to try the Jack and Alison thing, integrated with the romance of Alison and Rafe, so bear with me if you're not a fan of Jack and Alison together. Constructive criticism is welcome. Enjoy. This story takes place after Jack and Alison kiss for the time at his loft.

~*~*~*~

            The mood was right and the time seemed almost perfect when Jack felt Alison's lips upon his own. He closed his eyes, letting his sense of touch guide him through the special moment. He felt her hand cup his cheek and he rested his hand on her waist, gently anchoring their position. He'd wanted this ever since the day of the photo shoot and their time together on her birthday that not acting on instinct seemed wrong. He'd needed to do this to satisfy the heavy question: Would she let me kiss her? His heart squeezed, realizing exactly how strongly he felt for his best friend. The kiss deepened and he pressed his mouth onto hers the level of passion unable to be ignored. A sigh managed to escape her lips as they lightly caressed Jack's own. He took a handful of hair in his hand softly, wanting to be close to her, but not wanting to overstep his boundaries.

            Their sweet embrace lasted until Alison pulled away, her eyes slowly opening and lifting to meet his gaze.

            "Ali, I . . .," he began to apologize, but was greeted with her index finger pressed against his lips. 

            "Sssh," she silenced softly. "Don't say anything. Just hold me," she said, inviting his lips to touch her once more. Jack hesitated. What if she regretted being this intimate with him, rather than with Rafe? But his doubts were shoved to the back of his thoughts when she touched a hand to his face, caressingly. This was undoubtedly what he wanted and the signs she sent confirmed that she felt the same, so he simply, and easily, gave in, pressing his mouth on hers. She arched her back, allowing herself to slide under him on the couch as they sank into the plush cushions of the sofa together. He let a moan of pleasure escape his lips, becoming more and more entangled in their passionate lock. He ran his fingers gently through her sunny blonde strands, letting his fingers linger softly on her neck. He felt her hands roam like an expensive masseuse on his back, clawing lightly and gliding her fingertips along his cotton-clad skin. With one hand she reached around to grab a hand full of the T-Shirt the covered his chest and tugged urgently toward herself, eagerly deepening their kiss. His hand cupped her chin, smoothing over the skin on her jaw. 

            "Jack . . ." she muttered, quietly her kisses remaining consistent. "Oh, Jack," she repeated, pressing her body into his. His sense worked in beautiful harmony, his body tingling with the warmth created by their closeness and the sensation of acting upon the love he felt for her. He pulled back to create enough space for a whisper to slip past. But he didn't say anything, his heart in his throat, barely able to breathe as her sparkling blue eyes shone back at him, a hint of a smile visible on her lips. He smiled softly, his hand echoing the same gentleness as it combed away the hair that made its way over her delicate features.

            "Thank you," Alison finally spoke, her voice soft. He furrowed his brow slightly, curious to know what he'd done to deserve gratitude. She must have read his clueless expression and simply, yet meaningfully added,

            "For everything." And with that, she twisted so that they 'spooned' and Jack let his arms drape safely around her as she drifted off to sleep.

~*~*~*~

*I know, short, but I needed to start somewhere. So if you've read this and have decided to leave a review, please along with it, help me decide in which way to steer this: Jack/Alison? Or Rafe/Alison? Thanks!


	2. Dreamscape

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, nor am I associated with Port Charles or ABC in any way, shape or form. I am simply borrowing the characters for entertainment purposes. 

Title: The City of Angels

Summary/Couples: I'm going to try the Jack and Alison thing, integrated with the romance of Alison and Rafe, so bear with me if you're not a fan of Jack and Alison together. Constructive criticism is welcome. Enjoy. This story takes place after Jack and Alison kiss for the time at his loft.

~*~*~*~

            _It was dark and the air was mucky, the type that hangs on you after a thunderstorm. Small rocks crunched under Alison's shoes as she took in her surroundings, the sound of her own heart pounding noisily in her chest and the taste of panic in her throat were two of the most overwhelming feelings she'd ever experienced. Her breathing was heavy as she panted, her pace quickening as her legs carried her deeper into the cold, pitch black forest. Who knew where the Avatar was, and if it was lurking somewhere nearby? She had to find a way out. It was an area she was clearly unfamiliar with, and she opened her mouth to call for help when no sound came out, but a quiet whimper. She kept trying to push sound out, but only the gusts of wind and the howl of a distant wolf responded. She soon was able to detect voices. The voices of her friends, her family and their warnings about getting involved with Rafe, bounced off the trees, forming an eerie choir of ghostly tones. All the hurt he'd ever caused her all came out at once, filling the atmosphere with a sad, depressing aura, brewing into a wave of tears and anger. It was as if something was trying to remind her of the fact that even ex-angels could break hearts. And through all the emotional turmoil, there had been one person, for her, always. _

_Jack Ramsey._

_            Jack's face remained in the back of her head reassuringly, as she stumbled deeper through the dark marsh, the barn coming into view. She ran to the familiar landmark in the unmarked territory and briskly went inside. She slammed the door behind her, falling against the wooden plank that shielded her from the outside. But when she turned around, the faces starring back at her were just as unkind as those on the outside. Rafe and Livvie stood front and center with the rest of the town as their backdrop. Smirks played on their mouths, as they stared her down, their eyes unfriendly and foreign, burning holes into her like sunlight to a vampire. Her eyes jumped around the crowd, scanning the faces of the townspeople, her friends, Lucy, Jamal, her grandmother. All their expressions matched: disappointment. That she hadn't heeded their warnings and gone about her way, working to win back Rafe, despite the fact that he didn't remember the strong and passionate love they shared, just a few short months ago. _

_            And now, there he stood. With his golden, shaggy hair, and her former best friend on his arm, his eyes locked on her. However, his expression was different. Was it sorrow? Guilt? Compassion? Rafe had always been sympathetic, and a person who usually understood the things one was going through. Was he as confused as she? Did he feel the same magnetic pull toward her that she felt toward him?_

_            She tried to call to him, but her voice refused to oblige. But Rafe seemed to have heard her cry, and shook his head._

_            "It's no use, Alison. Don't waste your energy. It's out of your hands, now," he said, before he tightly shut his eyes as Livvie pressed her lips to his temple, and pulled him even closer toward her. Alison cringed, the thought of the two nearly enough to make her ill. So close she could feel the bile rising in her throat. She opened the door behind her and fled, running as fast as she could, wanting more than anything to be away from the barn. It had been a place of such love and wonderful memories. Now, it was little more than a pile of ruins of what once was, and exactly what it was: an old, beat-up, red barn. She longed for those memories to be more than memories, and to be truths. But it seemed as if her luck had run out when Rafe woke her up from her aneurysm after escaping murder charges, bringing her back to the harsh, real world. _

_            She ran deep into the woods, taking random steps and various turns, taking her into unknown land. Anything to get away from the truth about her former love. Tears soon began streaming down her face, all the pent up anger and sadness forcing its way out after being held deep inside for so long. She needed to get away, run for the hope of better times. Times when she knew happiness and love, not hatred and pain. She ran through the swampy grass, and around the large oak and maple trees, until the earth poked a branch out and snagged her ankle, causing her to fall. She panted on the ground, not able to find the urge to get up, but just to cry. But in front of her line of vision, a hand appeared. She stared at the hand, a hand belonging to a male. She looked up, only to fall into the pools of pacific blue eyes, belonging to none other than Jack. She looked at him for a few more moments, before setting her hand in his, and letting him help her up. She stood to his level, and let him take her in his arms, taking a breath of what seemed like the sweetest air ever inhaled. Jack was her rock, her anchor. And he was here now._

_~*~*~*~_

_T.B.C._


	3. Pressure to Decide

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, nor am I associated with Port Charles or ABC in any way, shape or form. I am simply borrowing the characters

for entertainment purposes. 

Title: The City of Angels

Summary/Couples: I'm going to try the Jack and Alison thing, integrated with the romance of Alison and Rafe, so bear with me if you're not a fan of Jack and Alison together. Constructive criticism is welcome. Enjoy. This story takes place after Jack and Alison kiss for the first time at his loft.

~*~*~*~

            Jack looked over at the now-conscious Alison, who had awoken with a gasp. He watched as her eyes scanned the room nervously, looking down at herself, until her eyes landed on him, and she smiled slightly, as if having found what she'd been looking for. He smoothed his palm over the soft skin of her cheek, feeling her nervous energy slowly fade away.

            "Good morning," he said, softly. He couldn't help but feel amusement as she rubbed her eyes, somewhat groggily.

            "It's that early? It's already tomorrow?" she asked, starting to sit up. He smiled again and shook his head,

            "No, I'm just teasing. It's almost midnight. Not technically tomorrow, so not technically early either." She let out a sigh, and smiled, before settling back against his side, slipping her arms around him.

            "How did you sleep?" he added, looking down at her small form cuddled against him. But he could see her expression fall when she registered what he was asking.

            "Okay," she answered, uncertain. "I dreamt of you," she started. She paused, "I was running through some forest, and I didn't know where I was, or anything. But I saw the barn, so I went inside, and I saw everyone. Kevin, Lucy, my Nanna, Jamal, everybody. And then in front were Rafe and Livvie. Rafe, didn't seem too happy but he stood there only because Livvie, like, forced him to. And then he said to give up, that things were no longer up to me, and to leave. He just looked so . . . defeated, y'know? So hopeless, like he lost his faith, or something. And then there was everyone else, who all had these identical looks on their faces. Like they were all so . . . I don't know, disappointed? And that seemed so strange to me, how everyone looked like they had one collective facial expression, so I got out of the barn. I ran but I tripped and fell. I didn't think I could get up either, I really didn't. But then I saw you, and you helped me." 

            "Well, I'm glad I could help," Jack replied, with a nod. Whenever Alison spoke of Rafe, he felt a jab of pain slice through his heart, as if the guy's name was a fresh knife-wound. But contrary to what he wanted, he knew she loved him, and she probably always would. From what he heard, they had been close, and the fact that he didn't seem to remember a moment of it, just didn't seem right. That despite all the time he'd spent with Alison, not to mention the heartache and effort they'd gone through to make things work, he was now married to Livvie, bonafide liar and slave to the devil. To Jack, nothing seemed to add up, but no matter how many times he'd been through the subject with Alison, she always had an excuse for him, a reason. And regardless of the countless times he tried to convince her otherwise, to Alison, Rafe was a good person, the best.

            "Yeah, it ended nice," she said, looking up at him. Jack returned her gaze, noting the happiness in the midst of the two pools of blue abyss that he found so easy to drown in. Was that happiness a result of the memory of Lucy's cousin in her dream? Or was it of him, the person she claimed saved her? Being that the last thing she mentioned about the dream was an image of him assisting her, his bets were on the latter. But he couldn't be sure. Asking would put his heart on his sleeve, open and welcoming to anything that threatened to hurt it. Assuming what he pleased gave him the uncertainty of not knowing how she felt about him. 

            "Ali, I need to know something," he blurted out easily. "What we did . . . the kiss . . . was that a mistake?" She furrowed her brow in his direction, loosening her grip around him.

            "You regret it?" she questioned, not answering. 

            "No, I don't.  But do you? I can't help but think you may wish it was Rafe you'd been kissing, rather than me?" The words came tumbling out of his mouth before he could retrieve them, and he was met with an incredulous look. Alison swiftly stood up, her body still facing his, her hands at her sides.

            "How could you even ask me that?" she demanded, her eyes wide. He stood to meet her gaze, holding out his hands to touch her arms. 

            "Look, I'm sorry, I didn't mean--."

            "Yes you did! Jack, I said your name! Or don't you remember? It was your name I was calling out, not Rafe's. God!" she said, taking several steps in the opposite direction, wrapping her arms around herself.

            "I know, and I'm sorry. He's just been all you ever talk about lately, it's a little hard to believe that you may have other feelings."

            "Feelings for who? You? Jack, I don't even know what I believe in anymore. And Rafe will always be special to me. We spent several beautiful months together," she pointed out. "And forgetting that is something you can not ask me to do."

            "I'm not asking you to do anything. I just want to know what your feelings towards me are, exactly. Because, I don't know about you, Alison, but lately things have been pretty vague, when it comes to that, so I really don't know what to think. So if you could just clear up a little bit of that confusion, that would be-."

            "Yes!! Yes, I do! I have feelings for you, Jack. There! Is that what you wanted to hear?"

            Jack took a deep breath. "Alison . . ." he paused, letting a momentary silence calm them, before speaking up again. "I didn't mean to push." Jack heard her sigh. He knew getting over Rafe was a rough time for her, but after having shared a rather intimate few moments earlier, he thought she owed him the truth.

            "Alison, you have to understand what I'm saying. I know how much Rafe meant to you, and I respect that. But after being as close as we were before, I think I deserve the truth. What are your feelings for the guy and where do I fit in?"

~*~

            Alison stared at the wall, listening to Jack's request, meanwhile thinking of what she really wanted. Did she still want her angel, Rafe? Or did she want her best friend to become more than just a confidante? She had all sorts of memories of her and Rafe: During Christmas, Kevin and Lucy's wedding, breaking things off with Jamal so she could be with him. He'd brought such joy to her life when Valerie tried ruining what she held near and dear to her heart. And he'd made her feel so special and beautiful on the day of their wedding, a day she couldn't ever forget. The liking for privacy and romance was something they'd both shared, something they'd integrated into their private ceremony with God.

            And then there was Jack, her best friend, and her real-life angel. He'd tried to help her get over Rafe countless times, when everyone else had deemed her hopeless and given up. Not that she'd ever made it easy. It seemed that every time he attempted to maker her think about the reality of things, or something happened to make her believe that she might finally be getting over him, Rafe coincidentally gave her another reason to hang onto any shred of hope she still might have. And with an endless amount of patience, Jack kept trying, over and over again. He was indeed a good friend to her; there was no doubt in that. Every time Alison had yet another issue or something to say, she always went to Jack. She was sure that by now, he had to be fed up with all of her complaints but rarely did he express that feeling to her. Time spent with Jack was always special and enjoyable. Whether they were out in the park or just sitting in his living room, talking, they always had plenty of laughs. Even when she had come to confide in him with tears streaming down her face, they were always gone by the night's conclusion. He was a highlight in her life, and she didn't want to give that up, ever.

            Finally she turned to him.

            "Look, Jack," she paused again. Talking like this, about these things, in these tones, was always a tough thing.

            "I do have feelings for you. Friendship . . . and more. But I still have these feelings for Rafe too. And with that sad, I really don't want to mess up any of what we have together, and . . . I just don't know what to do," she breath a sigh of utter defeat and plopped down onto the couch. She let her head fall into her hands, shutting her eyes as if keeping them open gave her a headache. She felt Jack's presence as he sat down next to her, after a few beats, moving one hand in a comforting, circular motion on her back before taking her in his arms. Being so close to him made her feel so safe. The same kind of safe she felt with Rafe. She slid her arms around him in reply, breathing in his bittersweet scent slowly, the smell comforting to her. They remained in the position for several moments, before Alison slowly and gently pulled back to her upright sitting position, and looked at him.

            "I'm so sorry, Jack. I'm just so confused right now about everything. None of this probably makes any sense to you," she said, offering a small smile, as if in spite of her herself. But Jack shook his head,

            "It's alright. I didn't mean to come on so strong. I know these things take a while to figure out, and I'm sorry. I shouldn't have put you on the spot like that," he said, making it seem as if a small load of weights had been lifted off her shoulders. "But I do think there is something between us, and I don't think it's fair to either one of us if you rule it out so quickly," he added, his expression serious, yet not too over-bearing. 

            And Alison knew he was right, too. This was something she could not deny. Ever since he'd kissed her for the first time, there was an undeniable sensation that was indescribable. She'd often thought of this sensation as love. But could a woman love two men the same? She'd always envisioned love as a feeling a woman felt for a man, and vise versa, and that this feeling could only be shared between two people. That was what had always made love so special, that it couldn't ever be equaled. But if what she'd felt was true, then she'd just proved her own theory wrong. The love she felt for Jack was slowly, but surely, changing from the love of a friend, to that of a lover. The man that sat before her was not only her best friend, but a man that she loved. She let her eyes rest on his.

            "There is, Jack. There is something between us, and I do owe you the truth."

~*~*~*~

TBC


End file.
